Reviews by thecheapies:

Looks very dark brown with super thick lacing from what was a nearly two-fingered head that fell and left all sorts of appealing designs in its wake.

Zesty citrus peel, pine, hearty roast, punchy dryness; all in the nose. Has the freshness of a young and good black ale. Definitely 'IPA' with that thinner crispness, never letting the maltiness get a grip. Earthy and citrusy hoppiness that falls into a nice balance.

Very hoppy with a spry citrus note that goes wild with pithy orange and grapefruit. Wet and round, yet roasty, but hop leaf is big and primary. Almost vegetal. The crackery malts do have an unsweet chocolate flavor. Some strange tinny orange flavor that carries through to the finish and beyond with some mild astringency.

The feel is okay, but light. Dark Vine is a little heady, too. The body has some swish to it, and the carbonation doesn't let down at all, if not, it's brushy and rough.

More User Reviews:

Poured into DFH signature glass; pours clear brown, black in the glass with rising carbonation feeding a nice finger-thick cream-colored head that descends slowly leaving sticky rings of lacing.
Smell; I could smell it as soon as I opened it. Gotta love fresh hoppy beers...in the glass, you'd never know it was a black IPA if it weren't for a slight dark cocoa-like malty smell behind the hops. Hop smells have lots of citrus and floral aromas, with some lighter pine behind that. The sweeter smells fade after a bit, leaving some sort of sharp, metallic odor. It's almost ammonia-like; perhaps this is what people are talking about when they say hops smell like cat urine. It's odd, but not a bad thing for some reason.
Tastes exactly like you'd imagine a black ipa would; like a porter mixed with an ipa. Smooth, clean dark cocoa malt flavors blending with fruity and citrusey hop flavors, moving smoothly into a bitter finish with lightly piney hop bitterness melding with the slight roasted bitterness from the darker malt.
Mouthfeel is medium-light, like a lighter porter; smooth and clean, finishing slightly dry and bitter.
Overall, a very nice cascadian dark ale (the term I prefer). Fresh hop flavors blend nicely with dark malt very well. Another winner from the Box of Hops.

Dark cola appearance, light tan head forms thick with thin speckled lacing. Aroma hints of dark chocolate, herbal hop notes. This is a great smelling beer, herbal hops hints of pine, mild citric notes amongst a dark roasted malt backbone, the beer really works better than most failed attempts at Black IPAs. Flavor brings big hop bitterness hints of dark chocolate and herbal mint character from the hops mild citrus hop accents. Overall you have to think of one of the Andes mint chocolate when you drink this beer. Mouthfeel is medium to full bodied moderate natural carbonation slightly oily resinous hop components glide across the palate. Nice dry finish keeps this beer drinking great with every sip, I need some more of this stuff.

DATE TASTED: December 30, 2014... GLASSWARE: Maudite snifter... OCCASION: celebrating Shan's new holiday--New Year's Eve Eve... APPEARANCE: jet black body with gray uneven head that simmers to a marshy top; post-trailing is tangible... AROMA: extremely floral with vanilla, citrus and bubblegum; complex... PALATE: immediately effervescent, with bubbles coalescing on the tongue; warming, stoking at the throat; at 9.5% ABV, devilishly subtle...TASTE: intense hops blunt slightly sweet, almost milky hints; malts lend a smoky appeal to the chunky dark body; coffee is secondary, but smoothly infused... OVERALL: a BIG beer that requires sipping for appreciation; in the Box o' Hops, a third to the Creeker and Flower Power, but that is not an insult, but that's the company it keeps...

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a stemless wine glass. Appears a full black color with a thin, light brown head. A little bit of lacing is left behind, but nothing great.

The nose is full of pine and floral, with a good amount of toasted malt and sweetness coming through as well. Nothing is overwhelming, but it is balanced, and on-point. The taste begins with a good amount of pine, quickly over-powered by dark toasted malts, with hints of dark fruits. Those dark malts are really the feature of this. The finish is a little bitter, but doesn't stick around forever.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied, with medium carbonation and a thick, sticky finish. Overall, this is a good black IPA, but isn't anything that will blow you away. That being said, the combination of the dark toasted malts and the pine and floral hops is very interesting, and worth a try.

Pours a very dark brown color, cola like. The tan head is short, dense and creamy. The head left a small wall of lacing.

The aroma is of piney/resiny hops. Not very strong but noticable. Subtle roast notes with a hint of scorched caramel. Not too much there.

Substantial piney hop flavor and bitterness hits upfront. Some citrus pops through. This is followed by a fairly smooth coffee/roast note. Which is then followed by an acrid roast bitterness. The beer hits the style notes well. Its not too bitter from the roast, which is preferrable to me.

Moderate body with tingly carbonation. A good balance between sweet and bitter, but bitter does win out in the finish.

A good example of the style. Its not my favorite style so it is slightly reflected in my score. Well made.